Tahera Sajid column: The need for meaningful dialogue

Thursday

May 21, 2015 at 8:50 AMMay 29, 2015 at 3:21 PM

By Tahera SajidGuest writer

Whenever we are confronted with controversy in the public sphere, the need for meaningful dialogue is reignited. The recent tragedy in Garland, Texas, over a contentious cartoon competition has once again stirred the debate to define hate speech and provocation vs. the right to free speech.

While merits and demerits of each position remain unresolved, fortunately, condemnation of violence is the default position held by the majority on all sides.

On May 16, the Islamic Center of New England hosted an interfaith event titled "Learn about Muhammad" at the Clifford H. Marshall School Auditorium in Quincy. Although the event was planned much before the Garland incident, it came as a timely reminder of the importance of outreach by the Muslim community, and the willingness of the larger interfaith community to avail opportunities for open discourse.

Drawing of negative depictions of Prophet Muhammad has been in the news as a controversial issue in recent years and an unfortunate cause of violence around the world. Muslims widely acknowledge and revere the historical figure of the Prophet as a symbol of peaceful coexistence, and the presenters of this program wanted to engage interfaith friends in a conversation to that effect.

They were eager to share their viewpoints based on references from the Prophet’s life and teachings, and answer guests' questions in a respectful, open and supportive environment. In essence, it was an opportunity for those who feel strongly about peace and respectful engagement in their community to support the Islamic Center’s effort to that end.

Dorothea Nelson and Usama Feroze conducted the program with the three speakers: Imam Khalid Nasr, the Imam for the Islamic Center of New England at Quincy; Dr. Suheil Laher, a PhD in Arabic and Islamic Studies from Harvard University and current academic dean at Fawakih Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies in Virginia; and Julia Martin, who holds a Master’s of Theological Studies from the Harvard Divinity School and works as a research program coordinator for a local university.

The speakers talked about Prophet Muhammad's life and his enduring message of tolerance, stressing the urgency of finding common ground and applying patience and forgiveness in our everyday dealings.

While discussing appropriate responses to negative actions of others who may be uninformed, misinformed or maliciously inclined, the speakers urged restraint. They encouraged participants to seek guidance from the lives of all prophets, including Prophet Muhammad who suffered much hardship during his lifetime but neither responded with violence himself nor asked anyone to commit it on his behalf.

The speakers impressed upon the audience to reject divisive messages of extremists belonging to all groups, and focus on joining productive efforts for unity. They also recommended three books about the life of Prophet Muhammad to those who wanted to better understand his message, including, “Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time” by Karen Armstrong, “Muhammad: Man and Prophet” by Adil Salahi, and “Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earlier Sources” by Martin Lings.

The event closed with messages of tolerance, equality, perseverance and sabr (patience) as part of Prophet Muhammad’s enduring legacy for more than 1.5 billion Muslims around the world.

I felt hopeful that the positive message of harmony will carry far and challenge the cacophony of discord threatening the fabric of our society.

As Eleanor Roosevelt aptly warned, “Pit race against race, religion against religion, prejudice against prejudice. Divide and conquer! We must not let that happen here.”

Indeed, we must not allow anyone to exploit our passions to forward their malicious agendas, but instead stand firmly united to confront the recurring challenges of divisiveness.

Tahera Sajid is with the Sharon Pluralism Network. For more information, visit sharonpluralism.org.

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